According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the capital expects to welcome over 33.7 million visitors in 2025, an increase of 20.8% compared with 2024. This includes 7.82 million international visitors, up 22.8%, and 25.9 million domestic visitors, up 20.3% year-on-year. A new wave of international visitorsIn recent years, Hanoi has witnessed a significant shift in its international visitor profile. Repositioning Hanoi’s tourism brandAccording to Nguyen Quy Phuong, Head of Tourism Promotion at the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, rebranding Hanoi’s tourism image has become an urgent priority. Such linkages could increase the average stay of international tourists from 2.8 days to 4–6 days, generating greater economic impact while enhancing the capital’s visibility in international markets.

Credit: S.NVietnamese football achieved an impressive string of victories in 2025, winning multiple championships and gold medals across all levels - marking one of its most remarkable years to date. Three Southeast Asian championships in one yearAt the very beginning of 2025, the Vietnam national team captured the ASEAN Cup title after an emotional victory against host Thailand. According to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), 2025 was considered a pivotal transitional year, laying a strong foundation for restructuring and preparing the national team for its next development phase. Seven national teams qualify for Asian finalsUnder the VFF’s strategic direction and targeted investment, Vietnam achieved a milestone by having seven national teams qualify for continental finals during 2025–2026. Beyond men’s football, both the men’s and women’s futsal teams, along with the Vietnam women’s national football team, also made their mark in 2025.

The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max were among the devices Apple discontinued in 2025. Most notably, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max - last year’s flagships boasting 6.9-inch displays, high-capacity batteries, and A18 Pro chips - have been pulled from shelves. Apple Watch: full refresh across all tiersThe Apple Watch family also saw a sweeping update. The Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) was succeeded by the SE 3, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 was discontinued in favor of the Ultra 3. Accessories: AirPods Pro 2 bows outIn the accessories segment, Apple said goodbye to the AirPods Pro 2 as it launched the AirPods Pro 3 in September.

Nearly 500 containers of Vietnamese tea are stuck at Karachi Port, threatening farmers' livelihoods. According to the Foreign Market Development Department, the Ministry took swift action following an urgent petition from the Vietnam Tea Association and affected businesses. Most of the Vietnamese tea shipments were contracted for export to Afghanistan through Karachi Port, relying on Pakistan as a transit hub. As of the latest update from Pakistan, Karachi Port is reportedly jammed with around 11,000 containers destined for Afghanistan, along with 25,000 import containers and 15,000 export containers awaiting clearance. Exporters have been urged to work closely with the Tea Association and the Vietnam Trade Office, providing complete documentation for their shipments.

Heavy selling hit nearly all large-cap stocks, including the entire Vin group: VIC, VHM, VRE, and Vinpearl (VPL). “Vin” stocks hit floor, liquidity surgesAll three major Vin stocks - VIC, VHM, and VRE - hit their floor prices with no buy orders remaining. USD 1.05 billion) on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) and nearly 1.6 trillion VND (USD 64 million) on HNX. Recently, VIC shares even reached 170,000 VND post-split (equivalent to about 340,000 VND pre-split), buoyed by a string of large-scale project launches. Vingroup’s recently issued 3.9 billion VIC shares are scheduled to reach investors’ accounts on the final trading day of 2025.

Born in 2007 in Dong Nai and belonging to the S’tieng ethnic group, Lai brought home gold medals from the National Strong Teams Vovinam Championship in April and the National Vovinam Championship in September. Her triumphant year culminated in November when she won gold at the World Vovinam Championship in Indonesia. Photo: NVCCStarting with local clubs, Lai’s talent soon caught the attention of Master Huynh Minh Hai, then head coach of the Binh Phuoc Vovinam team. In 2022, she claimed her first national youth gold medal, marking the start of an unbeaten streak. What matters most is discipline, determination, and gratitude along the way.”The young S’tieng girl hopes her story can inspire ethnic minority youth to believe that dreams, effort, and opportunity make success possible.

For generations, the Nguyen village in Dong Hung commune, Hung Yen province has been one of the cultural cradles of Vietnam’s traditional water puppetry. In the past, the village boasted several different puppetry troupes, which later merged into what is now known as the Nguyen Xa Water Puppetry Guild. People’s Artist Nguyen Dinh Bay, head of Nguyen Xa guild, explains the history of the troupe. Nguyen Dinh Bay, People’s Artist and head of the Nguyen Xa puppetry guild, shared that the troupe has a history dating back approximately 700 years. As the strings tighten and release, they create elegant, expressive patterns that only Nguyen Xa artists can execute.

An illustration of a high-speed railway project is shown in an undated handout image. Those include a proposed Olympic sports urban complex in Hanoi covering more than 9,000 hectares, as well as major transport links such as the Ben Thanh–Can Gio and Hanoi–Quang Ninh high-speed rail lines. Vingroup is also pursuing large-scale industrial and energy ventures, including steel production, wind power, and an LNG power plant. The firm added that its withdrawal would not affect progress on the North–South high-speed rail project, which has attracted interest from other domestic investors with relevant experience. VinSpeed, a Vingroup-affiliated infrastructure developer, previously estimated the North–South high-speed rail project to cost about VND1.562 quadrillion ($60.2 billion), excluding land clearance and resettlement.

In September 2024 in the United States, General Secretary and President To Lam presented the Friendship Order to several individuals, including Cora Weiss, for their significant contributions to fostering Vietnam–U.S. Peter Weiss, born in 1925, and Cora Weiss, born in 1934, were unwavering American allies of Vietnam for many decades. Cora Weiss was among the most prominent leaders of the American anti-war movement. Even in their 90s, Cora and Peter Weiss attended a meeting between General Secretary and President To Lam and American friends on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in September 2024. During that occasion, Cora Weiss was honored to receive the Friendship Order from General Secretary and President To Lam.

My strengths are Literature, History, and Geography, while English is only average,” Chau said. Due to the tight timeline, Duy quickly changed course, deciding to study Math to switch to C03 (Literature, Math, History) to apply to the Border Guard Academy. She will also continue studying Literature, History, and Geography to apply for majors that still accept this combination. The school will also not use C03 (Math, Literature, History), C04 (Math, Literature, Geography), or X78 (Literature, English, Economic and Legal Education). Meanwhile, the University of Engineering and Technology under Vietnam National University Hanoi plans to remove D01 (Math, Literature, English), B00 (Math, Chemistry, Biology), and X26 (Math, English, Informatics) when evaluating students based on national high-school exam scores.

Corridors at the existing Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics are often overcrowded due to the high number of patients. The municipal administration said the primary goal is to establish Vietnam’s first dedicated Trauma Hospital equipped with modern infrastructure and advanced medical technology. The facility would serve residents of Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces while significantly reducing pressure on overcrowded inner-city hospitals. Narrow walkways at the current Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopedics force people to stand aside whenever patient beds are moved through. Under the proposed timeline, construction of the Trauma Hospital would take place between 2026 and 2030.

Nguyen Dinh Bac has reached the final round of voting for the Vietnam Golden Ball 2025, competing against seasoned stars Hoang Duc, Tien Linh, and Quang Hai. As a key player under coach Kim Sang Sik, Dinh Bac helped Vietnam’s U23 team win both the Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the SEA Games 33 gold medal. Traditionally, Vietnam’s highest football awards favor players who make the strongest impression at national team level, where competition, pressure, and influence are at their peak. Even so, Dinh Bac still has a genuine shot at glory. That precedent leaves the door open for Dinh Bac.

A police officer checks the scene where a foreigner was found dead in the lobby of a hotel in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, December 24, 2025. Photo: Da Nang City People's Procuracy portalAt around 2:45 am on Wednesday, police in Duy Nghia Commune received a report from N.W.H. Hotel regarding a male foreigner found lying in the lobby, according to the Da Nang People’s Procuracy portal. The man was rushed to Sai Gon-Hoi An General Hospital for emergency treatment, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The footage showed the two men leaving the hotel in a hurry shortly after the victim was discovered in the lobby.

A corner of Nguyen Hue Flower Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, 2025. Ho Chi Minh City-- Nguyen Hue Flower Street, a staple of the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) in Ho Chi Minh City, is set to open at 7:00 pm on February 15 and close at 9:00 pm on February 22. -- Residents in Xuan Thoi Son Commune, Ho Chi Minh City captured two rare great hornbills on Monday and Wednesday, and then contacted authorities to hand them over. -- Many churches in Ho Chi Minh City lit up simultaneously on Wednesday night, glowing with the warm, dazzling colors of Christmas Eve, attracting young people to gather and take photos. Sports-- Vietnamese chess player Luong Phuong Hanh was officially recognized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) as a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) on Wednesday.

At key intersections, AI cameras are mounted to capture full traffic flow and transmit live data to the city’s central control center. On December 13, the Hanoi Police officially launched the city’s Traffic Control Center, which also handles administrative violations electronically. The center includes three core systems: a road traffic safety violation management system, a smart adaptive signal control system, and a public order management system. A total of 1,837 cameras are connected to 188 signal control cabinets across the city, enabling full integration with the AI traffic management network. Authorities believe the AI-enabled control center will transform road safety awareness and urban discipline, while helping alleviate congestion at 195 intersections citywide.